Medical Services

Resources

Outpatient Medical Detox

18 Jun Outpatient Medical Detox

For many individuals the idea of detoxing is terrifying. The thought of the pain, nausea, cold sweats, dizziness and all other withdrawal symptoms deter many people from taking that first step to recovery…but not you!

No, you are ready to take on whatever symptoms come along with detoxing. You have been using long enough and you want to rid your life of being dependent on substances.

The only problem is…losing your job or taking time away from family and kids. You don’t have time to take off work for a week to go into a hospital to detox and frankly you don’t really like hospitals, to begin with.

So what other option do you have?

Outpatient Medical Detoxing is a great option. Many people don’t know this is an option to begin with, which is why we are providing you with more insight on this type of available service. We will go over what it is, how it is done, the pros and cons involved and where you can find an outpatient medical detox facility today.

What is Outpatient Medical Detox?

Outpatient Medical Detox is a form of addiction recovery. It is usually administered at the beginning of the patient’s journey to recovery. The purpose of detoxing is to bring the patients body to a state of health where the individual doesn’t have to be ingesting the drug in order to survive. Detoxing can be done in many different forms. There are both inpatient and outpatient detox centers available in today’s marketplace, however, the outpatient detoxing services seem to be more appealing to people as time goes on due to the convenience it provides.

Each detox center has their own way of performing the detox for the patient. Some facilities use behavioral tactics only, which means that the patient is detoxing without the aid of medicine. This is sometimes known as social detoxing.Some people may prefer this form of detoxing because they have an aversion to using FDA approved medicine. Most people will state they don’t want to replace one drug with another. However, studies have shown that if detoxing is done under proper medical supervision then the likelihood of an alternative form of addiction is low.

Dr. Motoi Hayashida recently completed a study on the benefits and disadvantages of outpatient medical detoxification and inpatient detoxification. During his study, he found that both forms of detox provide the patient with the means necessary to be successful. The real success of the patient depends on the patient themselves. For some people, the outpatient model proves to be beneficial because they are able to carry on their daily lives all while receiving their treatment. For those people who need more structure then the inpatient model is likely a better option. In relation to the benefits of outpatient treatment. Dr. Hayashida states:

In addition, patients who enroll in long-term outpatient rehabilitation treatment following detoxification in an outpatient setting may benefit by attending the same treatment facility for both phases of treatment. Most outpatients experience greater social support than inpatients, with the exception of outpatients in especially adverse family circumstances or job situations. Outpatients can continue to function relatively normally and maintain employment as well as family and social relationships. Compared with inpatients, those patients in outpatient treatment retain greater freedom, continue to work and maintain day-to-day activities with fewer disruptions and incur fewer treatment costs.

Really, what it comes down to is if you are willing to put in the work to maintain your detox treatment on an outpatient level. Luckily here in Utah, we at White Tree Medical provide outpatient medical detoxification to all patients who are seeking recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. Our services are entirely outpatient and have proven to be highly successful and rated among our former patients.

How is Outpatient Medical Detox administered?

Outpatient Medical Detox is done in the relativley same manner as an inpatient detox. You will be presented with a medical team (usually an M.D. or N.P will head the team) who will go over with you the treatment specific to that facility. They will be in charge of monitoring you as you go through the program and will be there to aid you every step of the way. Sometimes facilities will provide an around the clock calling system so that when you aren’t in the facility you can still contact your medical team if you have any questions.

The medications provided compose of comfort meds such as anti nausea, headache, and minor pain medication, and medication to help with sleeping. In addition to your comfort meds, you will be given a controlled substance which will aid you in overcoming your withdrawal symptoms while you detox. For opioid detoxification, this medication is usually Buprenorphine or Subutex and for alcohol, this is usually Librium.

Depending on the program you will also be provided with a treatment plan in order for you to properly monitor your progress and see how ready you are to move into a long-term treatment plan. Remember not all detox centers are the same, you will encounter variations in each facility. But the overall goal is to aid you in detoxing on an outpatient basis. Also a word of advice. Check to see if the facility is properly licensed to provide the service. If they aren’t they will most likely provide you with an inferior detox experience due to the lack of qualified medical professionals.

Our outpatient medical detox program at White Tree Medical is fully licensed and our treatment program is very robust. We are literally there for you every step of the way. After all, excellence in care is what we do.

What are the Pros and Cons of Outpatient Treatment?

As with everything there are always pros and cons. Here you will find the pros and cons from our patient feedback and our medical team here at the clinic.

PROS:

Outpatient allows the individual to maintain their current life obligations.

Cutting edge treatment modalities.

Access to both medicine and behavioral therapy.

Insurance usually covers the costs.

MUCH cheaper than residential rehab.

High success rate.

CONS:

The individual is free to go home (for some this poses a difficulty).

Less strict environment (again some people may need this).

Access to drugs/alcohol.

Access to your therapists/doctor is limited to office visits.

If you would like to learn more about other treatment options available follow this link:

Where can I find an Outpatient Detox Facility?

Unfortunately, this type of service is fairly new so researching “rehabs” in Google may not provide you the answers you are looking for. However, we have compiled a list of websites that provide outpatient medical detox here in Utah.

Remember that Outpatient Medical Detox isn’t for everyone, we aren’t advocating for outpatient or inpatient, rather we are trying to inform you of the different options out there. Please use this information and make the decision today to get the help you need. Life is much better after recovery.